Holiday to France with a 3 month old

[mum2bemay22]

Me and my husband are expecting our first baby in May. My parents in law have asked us on a two week holiday to France at the end of August. What are people’s advice on travelling with a 3 month old?

If your destination has some baby stuff available so you don't have to take so much of your own, I'd go for it. Especially as it sounds like there will be a high adult-child ratio for you to spread any of the baby stuff that you are going to take between you, and you won't have any other children to look after en route. It would be even easier if you plan to exclusively breastfeed. Are you planning to fly or drive? How long would the journey be?

The destination is a villa so it has a cot for baby there. We would be flying but the in laws will drive there a couple of days prior to our arrival so hoping they will take the baggage and the car seat obviously. We will need to still take a buggy, which is my other question...is it best for me to buy a stroller and just take that for the two weeks or shall I risk taking my beautiful silver cross that comes in two parts on the aircraft, I don’t want it to be damaged and would be heartbroken if anything happened to it!! The flight will only be an hour so I’m not concerned once I’m on the plane more concerned with what do airlines let you take buggy wise and how much am I going to stress once I’m there haha. Hopefully my husband and in laws will be all hands on deck!!

It's the easiest age to travel/fly, gets much harder once they are mobile.

Infant equipment allowance varies by airline so look up the t&c, but all will carry a 1 or 2 piece buggy free. (Plus some allow a second free item checked like car seat or cot) You get buggy tagged at the check-in desk and can take it all the way to the gate which skips the worst of baggage at departure end... however, they take it off you at the stairs of plane to put in hold. Usually you get it back at same place other end, but not always. My friend's buggy was recently mangled and she had a fight for compensation. If it's precious then maybe buy a second hand lie flat umbrella stroller i.e. Maclaren for travelling. Or can you take your own baggage on plane and send pram with in-laws instead?

I never fly without a carrier because of not always getting the buggy back at plane. Some of the walks through customs to baggage claim are very long to carry a baby/toddler. I actually swap baby to it in the boarding queue as there are often stairs at gate and need hands for passports/luggage/other child.

So are you both saying I can take the buggy (either stroller or silver cross) to the actual plane and then hand it over at the bottom of the stairs to the plane? If so that’s fabulous!!

I wouldn't take an expensive, heavy 2-part stroller on a plane, because they'll make you put it in the hold and you might not get it back until the carousel (plus, they can be damaged). Much better to take a folding, umbrella-style stroller as these are easy to handle and much harder to break!

As for the holiday, it should be fine. I flew from NY to London on my own when DS1 was 4 months, so I'm sure two of you can manage a short hop to France at 3 months and if the villa comes with a cot all you'll need to take is the car seat and stroller, which is perfectly doable.

Can your in laws take the buggy in their car and you just take a sling for baby on the plane? This is what my parents did for us when DD was 2 months old - also to a house in France.
Main thing to remember is the passport. It can take 3 weeks to arrive. I took DD to a photographic shop when she was about 2 weeks old and they took her photo lying on a cushion. They charged me £5. Well worth it!

I agree, it's much easier to travel with children at that age! DH and I flew with DD when she was 4 months old and then I flew solo to visit my parents in France when she was 6 months. The air hostesses were especially lovely when I travelled alone, they saw I was breastfeeding so gave me free drinks. The car seat and luggage were checked in and then I took pushchair all the way to the gate. I took my baby carrier with me so that I had free hands to grab everything at the other end!

I’m not sure they could fit the buggy in their car because there will be three of them (mother and father and sister in law) and their cases, the car seat, one of our cases, a dog, the dogs holiday essentials (lol) and a bike. I will ask but I don’t really want to carry them the whole way through the airport. I don’t live too far from Peterborough for the passport so I can go closer to the time and get it done in the day if worse comes to worse.

I'm not sure you can use the express service for first passports. Have you checked?

You can get protective bags for buggies. I'd also take a carrier.

Yes, you can always get the buggy tagged at check-in and take to gate. It varies how you get through security. It used to be that you had to fold it and send along through scanner but more common now seems to be a that you empty buggy and pass it through a side gate and they scan and swab it.

Protective buggy bag is a massive hassle IMO if you want to take it to foot of plane stairs rather than leave it at check-in. There's really only time to fold and pass it over. Not try to get in in a bag.

You can't do the one day service for first passports. But just have the form completed and documents ready to go before birth. Soon as baby is home, take lots of photos against white background (muslin on bouncy chair worked best for us) pick the best and upload to paspic.com, they check it complies and post if out to you in 48hrs. Get them countersigned and soon as you have birth cert get them all posted asap. You will have enough time but it's a busy time of year. I didn't give birth in UK but my understanding from friends is the main delay can be getting an appointment for birth registration in some areas.

How will you get to airport if inlaws have the car seat?

Luckily we have two car seats one in my car and one in husbands car, we will give them one of ours. Otherwise, my dad said he would drop us at the airport if we decide not to drive and he also has his own car seat in his car as there are 4 little grandchildren lol so we are covered with the car seat!